I use these to train with power for triathlon training and racing. I rely heavily on data and these rarely give me consistent functionality. The first pair failed to record power after a few months. Garmin sent me a second, newer pair as the issue had been known and identified. Second pair never works flawlessly - power disappears for long sections of ride, battery life is very weak (less than 50 hours), huge power spikes (2000 watts), and right pedal sensor constantly goes missing. The pedals are fine, the power is complete junk. I would sell these but can't in good conscience pass my problem off to someone else.
I have had these over a month and they dont work. I have a new battery door coming but started this over a month ago. Every time I want to call Garmin it is over an hour hold. I dont have time outside working hours to deal with this. Its either miss a workout or try to get ahold of Garmin. I read the other reviews prior with some positive and some negative but assumed since it had been so long they had their issues resolved. Very frustrating and I only gave it 2 stars because I am hopeful.
I got these pedals when they were on sale at $xx. I believe Garmin is making these with the updated battery covers that was causing previous issues. The pedals have worked 100% of the time with no issues. The only thing to point out on my side is that the Wahoo Bolt doesn't seem to be able to calibrate them easily. I have never been able to calibrate them thru the Element Bolt. Overall they are great. The Look cleats were no real difference from my Shimano cleats.
24 months and 20k kms into this pair of pedals and I consider them an indispensable part of my riding kit. I move them from bike to bike without issues. I did have problems at the beginning with the battery door. The regular lost connection issue. Garmin support was very responsive and sent me the gen 2 door which was better. I used the CR 1/3N single battery and I had no troubles. Garmin sent me the gen 3 door without asking. Operation for the last year has been very stable with no issues. I am looking to buy a second pair as backup since I would not want to go without them. The major alternative to these pedals are the Assioma pedals that some of my friends use. They are happy with them also. I find it convenient to stay within the Garmin ecosystem so I am going to stick with these. The screw on one of my pedals cleat portion has backed out by itself loosening the cleat. It is a Torx fastener. Screwing it back in with a touch of blue Loctite solved that issue. The instruction tell you to torque it on to some very high tightness. That is totally unnecessary. I install them until they are just snug with a regular pedal wrench and they have never loosened up on me. I have not yet had to address the bearings and the cleats show minimal wear. Highly recommended.
Ok, I have read the negative reviews and to be honest .... I don"t get it! I received the pedals on Wednesday evening. Installed them on my RLT 9 RDO gravel bike on Thursday. Paired to my Garmin 520 in a matter of minutes and was able to read cadence and power on my first ride. Did a shake down ride on Saturday (20 miles) and a long Sunday ride ( 60 miles) of mixed gravel and road. Did not have a single issue even with all the dust. The only thing I need to get used to is using road pedals on a gravel bike .... but a lot of people do it. At this point with under 100 miles on the "system" I am a very happy camper.
Great purchase for anyone looking to upgrade their data collection. These really helped me on hills and being able to more accurately dial in my efforts. You will need a pedal wrench to install if you do not have one already. No issues connecting to my Garmin Edge 1000 and Garmin Connect. These will help you see where your left and right legs are in terms of equal power output, and even where on the rotation each leg is peaking it's power! I keep finding new stuff every time I use them. Worth every penny!
Adds a new level of rider engagement. Cadence x Power x Heart Rate. Crunch a few numbers. Steady improvement. My three step self improvement process 1) ride the bike 2) keep the lbs off 3) add dynamic power metrics. Zwift compatible.
I was an early adopter of a power meter and am returning to the sport after several years off. pedal based power meters for me are the way to go. Have heard mixed reviews on the Garmin V3's but compared to the other pedal systems, I feel Garmins are the most like normal Look pedals and the competition are kludgey. I purchase refurbs that have the improved battery closure and got them at a great price for a dual sided system. Once I replaced the (2) LR44 batteries in each pedal with a single CN13 type, 95% of dropouts went away. I think that two batteries are problematic because the contact between the batteries is prone to vibration etc. Still get a few power dropouts probably some kind of signal crosstalk but not a huge problem.
No issues at all with these power pedals. Work as expected and love having the data. Highly recommended for those looking to take your cycling more seriously. Would be 5/5 but they are really pricey so subtracting one star for that.
I purchased the Vector 3 Power Pedals a few months ago. For the most part I am enjoying them and the data provided. I question whether the left/right balance is correct as thy always seem to be amazingly close, even when I have focused on one side to see a difference. My suggestion would be one power pedal per bike.
6 month review. Fantastic pedal stats-until the eventual right pedal continuous disconnects begin. Using Garmin 1030, must touch the right pedal missing notice every few minutes, sometimes every few seconds. Otherwise, the message remains on the unit and the Garmin waits for you to confirm. It does not automatically return to the last screen in use, Aside from the pedal providing left stats only, this is frustrating and degrades the 1030 functionality. Ex racer current retired everyday fitness rider, 45 years experience. Careful battery changes when applying the suggested bit of oil. Proper axle torqueing. Proper battery cap tightening. Fresh batteries. Either second or third battery cap version. Cap version seems to make no difference. May not link to all Android phone Garmin Connect software versions. Will probably link to Android Garmin Connect tablet software versions. Bottom line Great when it works, but reluctant to recommend this pedal. Suggest any potential purchaser read the Garmin 3 Vector forum first. Many satisfied customers. Many frustrated customers. You take you chances. Not what a pedal purchase and use experience should be.
Easy to install mechanically (and slightly less so) electronically. Feels good to ride. Provides accurate, useful data. Platform offset data looks questionable, but not particularly relevant to me.
So far I have not encountered any of the battery issues or other issues that some users have reported. I own 2 x sets of these and have had no problems with either bike and have them synced with an Edge 520plus and Edge 1030. No problems with either. Firmware Updates are no problem with my iPhone using the Garmin app.
I've been using my Vector 3 pedals for about a month. The training data is awesome and helps me hone in on my weaknesses.
After my first ride in wet conditions, the right pedal dropped out, it's easy to pull the battery and slightly pull the inside contact up so it makes a better connection. Power is the best way to train and track your performance improvement. Conditions and equipment can vary so much so power just makes more sense.
The ease of installation and ability to move pedals between bikes is very convenient.
Have been using since 2018 and haven't experienced any issue so far. Very satisfied - compact and have lots of performance data. Could be much cheaper though but marketing is a tough thing, they will charge maximum what people can pay).
There were some issues right after the release (happens for all Garmin products) though, but several month later were fixed.
Replaced my Power Tap with the Vector 3 on my Road Bike. I also purchased the Garmin 1030 to replace my older Garmin. The combination of Vector 3 and Garmin's Edge 1030 is a powerful tool for my training. I highly recommend these platforms if you are serious about your performance metrics.
Got the dreaded right pedal not found error after two months. Worked great until then. Did not want a single sided power meter though. All trouble shooting worked for a ride or two. However, the right pedal not found consistently comes back. This is a known issue that Garmin supposedly fixed with software updates, but I can confirm that certain units are still affected.
Combined with the Garmin 1030, these provide a lot of useful information. They install like any other pedal - super easy. So it's pretty simple to move between bikes if necessary. I've had them for a month or so, and so far, I'm pretty impressed.
